Magnetic resonance spectroscopy currently is a widely used tool for characterizing chemical compounds. Chemical samples are currently contained within a quartz capillary tube or other type of vessel which is surrounded by a radio frequency coil. The capillary tube or vessel wall thickness separates the coil from the sample, effectively reducing the sensitivity by as much as 15% below the theoretical signal obtained from a 100% filled coil. In microscale NMR systems, this reduction in sensitivity is very undesirable because of the already low signal levels due to much smaller sample sizes. Consider the two-dimensional drawing representing existing coil 10 and capillary 12 systems given in FIG. 1. As can be seen in this figure, the capillary wall thickness 14 is wasted space that the sample cannot occupy, effectively reducing the sensitivity of the coil.
Microscale NMR spectroscopy provides the advantage of higher signal to noise ratios because of the drastically reduced resistance of the coil, but the signal level is lower because the sample size is so much smaller. As such, systems and materials capable of improving the signal-to-noise ratio which are relatively inexpensive and suitable for use in practical applications continue to be sought through ongoing research and development efforts.